Forestview WR headed to Shrine Bowl on short notice

Mykelti Armstrong was in African American Studies Monday when he was called out of class for some big news: he had been asked to join the North Carolina Shrine Bowl roster as a substitute.

A couple of hours later, the Forestview senior wide receiver was on his way to Spartanburg, S.C., to begin preparations for Saturday’s all-star game.

“I feel pretty good about it,” Armstrong said. “It’s a big honor being able to go and being the first one from Forestview to go.”

Neither Armstrong nor Forestview head coach Chris Medlin knew that Armstrong was an alternate, so Monday’s call came out of the blue in that regard. It’s unclear whose place Armstrong is taking.

“I thought he had a really good chance going into it to be selected and it doesn’t surprise me a bit,” Medlin said. “He had a tremendous year for us.”

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Armstrong set a Gaston County record with 101 receptions this season. He finished with 1,444 receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns, ranking second-most in county history in both categories. For his career, Armstrong finished first in the county record book in receptions (155), second in yards (2,500) and second in touchdown receptions (34).

Armstrong has received offers from Wingate, UNC Pembroke, Tusculum and Western Carolina.

The other Shrine Bowl players reported over the weekend, Armstrong missed the first practice Monday morning.

“I’m going to try to go in and study the playbook and just try to catch back up as fast as I can,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong is one of two players representing Gaston County in the Shrine Bowl, the other being South Point fullback Tyler Bray. South Point defensive coordinator Phil Tate is among the six North Carolina assistant coaches. Lee County’s Burton Cates is the North Carolina head coach.

The annual game pits some of the best seniors from North Carolina against their South Carolina counterparts. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Wofford College’s Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C.